Culture: Lone Star rocks to stellar crop of Scots

The South by Southwest festival in Texas was a triumph for our bands, reports Graeme Jamieson

A balmy spring in the heart of Texas could hardly be further removed from the cold March winds blowing off the Clyde towards Barrowlands. Here in Austin, the warm air is filled with the scents of hyacinth and home cooking, not fish suppers and cigarette smoke. And if the buildings along Sixth Street suggest the seamier side of life — bars and tattoo parlours jostle with each other along the sidewalk — the street is clean and tidy, miles away from the grubbiness of the Gallowgate.

Yet, right here in Lone Star state, you could imagine you were in Glasgow. For in Austin last weekend the huge South by Southwest music festival featured a small army of 14 Scottish groups and performers (as many as 17 were invited), a new wave of rock and rollers ready to take America. And the Scots stood out among their 1,200 rivals.